Fashion in the 70's
Timeline of the 70's
1970 -- Hemlines - Across the fashion industry, fashion designers dropped skirt lengths to anywhere between the knee and ankle, and called it the Midi Look. Mini skirt lovers hated it, and picketed shops that held the new length. Needless to say, it wasn't the biggest success of the fashion industry.
1970 -- Moroccan - The Moroccan theme was big in 1970. Striped capes and folk-embroidered Hungarian peasant blouses gave the 1970's a distinctly ethnic flavour.
1971 -- Nostalgia - A taste for nostalgia brought back people's desire for nautical insignia and 40's movie star glamour, as well as Chinese style evening gowns.
1972 -- Sweater Weather - The busy modern wanted to look at ease and not obviously stressed. The sweater was perfect for this effortless effect, becoming a beach cover-up, a city costume base and the bodice of satin evening gowns.
1973 -- Material Shortages - For the first time in decades, there was a large shortage of raw materials and fabrics, and the cost of synthetics rose as well. Fashion designers changed their styles to become simple and affordable, in tweeds, flannels, plaids, checks and stripes.
1975 -- Layering - Layering added a richer look, with double blouses, multiple sweaters, jumpers over dresses, hoods under hats, and shawls over everything. The scarf added the ultimate layer.
1976 -- Split in Two - In 1976, fashion went two very different ways. One was a Parisian peasant style, using capes, turbans, rich fabrics, glowing colours, long skirts and puffed sleeves. The other was a clean-cut All-American look, borrowing styles from classic sportswear.
1978 -- Slim and Trim - 1978 saw a dramatic turn in the fashion industry. The loose, flowing silhouettes of earlier in the decade suddenly slimmed down, and gave a much clearer definition of the figure.
1970 -- Hemlines - Across the fashion industry, fashion designers dropped skirt lengths to anywhere between the knee and ankle, and called it the Midi Look. Mini skirt lovers hated it, and picketed shops that held the new length. Needless to say, it wasn't the biggest success of the fashion industry.
1970 -- Moroccan - The Moroccan theme was big in 1970. Striped capes and folk-embroidered Hungarian peasant blouses gave the 1970's a distinctly ethnic flavour.
1971 -- Nostalgia - A taste for nostalgia brought back people's desire for nautical insignia and 40's movie star glamour, as well as Chinese style evening gowns.
1972 -- Sweater Weather - The busy modern wanted to look at ease and not obviously stressed. The sweater was perfect for this effortless effect, becoming a beach cover-up, a city costume base and the bodice of satin evening gowns.
1973 -- Material Shortages - For the first time in decades, there was a large shortage of raw materials and fabrics, and the cost of synthetics rose as well. Fashion designers changed their styles to become simple and affordable, in tweeds, flannels, plaids, checks and stripes.
1975 -- Layering - Layering added a richer look, with double blouses, multiple sweaters, jumpers over dresses, hoods under hats, and shawls over everything. The scarf added the ultimate layer.
1976 -- Split in Two - In 1976, fashion went two very different ways. One was a Parisian peasant style, using capes, turbans, rich fabrics, glowing colours, long skirts and puffed sleeves. The other was a clean-cut All-American look, borrowing styles from classic sportswear.
1978 -- Slim and Trim - 1978 saw a dramatic turn in the fashion industry. The loose, flowing silhouettes of earlier in the decade suddenly slimmed down, and gave a much clearer definition of the figure.
The 1970's were a tumultuous time. In some ways, the decade was a continuation of the 1960's. Women, African Americans, Native Americans, gays and lesbians and other marginalized people continued their fight for equality, and many Americans joined the protest against the ongoing war in Vietnam.
The decade began with a continuation of the hippie look from the 1960's, giving a distinct ethnic flavor. Popular early 1970's fashions for women included Tie dye shirts, ponchos, and military clothing. Bottom attire for women during this time included bell-bottoms, torn jeans, mid-calf-length dresses called "midis" (which were generally unpopular), and ankle-length dresses called "maxis" were also worn in the early 1970's, thus offering women three different skirt lengths. Hippie clothing during this time was made in extremely bright colors, as well as Indian, Native American and floral patterns. Although the hippie look was widespread, it was not adopted by everyone. Many women still continued to dress up with fancier clothes, inspired by 1940s movie star glamour. Other women just adopted simple casual fashions. Simpler early 1970's trends for women included fitted blazers, mini skirts, maxi evening gowns, hot pants with skin-tight t-shirts, and flared pants. By 1974, the T-shirt was no longer seen as underwear, and was made with elaborate designs such as slogans and sport teams. Around the same time the looser shirts of the early 1970's had been replaced by fitted tops. Women's fashions in the late 1970's included cowl-neck shirts and sweaters, pantsuits, leisure suits, tracksuits, sundresses worn with tight t-shirts, strapless tops, lower-cut shirts, cardigans, velour shirts, crop tops, tube tops, knee-length skirts, loose satin pants, mini skirts, designer jeans and tennis shorts. lean-cut, All-American active wear for women became increasingly popular from 1975 onwards. The biggest phenomenon of this trend was the jumpsuit, popular from 1975 onwards. Jumpsuits were almost always flared in the legs, and sleeves varied from being completely sleeveless to having extremely long bell-sleeves. Other sportswear trends included tracksuits, tunic shirts, crop tops, tube tops, sweatshirts and low rise pants. Disco fashion was generally inspired by clothing from the early 1960's. Fashions ranged from short, tight miniskirts to long, elaborate gowns for women. Disco clothes worn by women included tube tops, sequined halterneck shirts, blazers, miniskirts, spandex short shorts, form-fitting spandex pants, maxi skirts and dresses with long thigh slits, ball gowns, and evening gowns |